A Plant Based Diet and Cancer

A wholefood plant-based diet and cancer risk: what the research shows us.

Diet and lifestyle

It is now widely understood that the genes that we are born with contribute to the development of cancer in only 5-10% of cases with studies demonstating that the remaining 90–95% of all cancers have their roots in environmental and lifestyle factors (1), with the important factors that affect the incidence and mortality of cancer including tobacco, alcohol, diet, obesity, infectious agents, environmental pollutants, and radiation. 

Current medical practice largely ignores these factors and focuses only on the eradication of tumour cells using a combination of surgery, ratdiotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted medical treatments.  This mode of treatment remains despite the evidence demonstrating the role that diet and lifestyle factors play in the prevention and recurrence of cancer, and their potential for improving outcomes after a diagnosis. We know that cancer is a multi-faceted disease, and in every phase of cancer’s development and progression, better nutrition can play a signficant role (4, 5), and has the potential not only for improving outcomes but also for improving energy levels, general wellbeing, tolerance to treatments, and speedier recovery following treatment. 

At Healthy, Happy and Strong we aim to fill this gap in information, with evidence based recommendations to ensure the best possible outcome for our clients. 

A whole-food plant based diet and cancer

There is now a large and ever growing body of evidence demonstrating that dietary intake is associated with cancer outcome with the overwhelming majority in support of plant-enriched diets for cancer prevention and control (6).  The wholefood plant-based diet (WFPBD) is part of established, universally recommended healthy lifestyle habits with adherence being associated with reduced cancer risk (6), and may also be beneficial for cancer prognosis (2). Additionally, adherence to a WFPBD is confers additional benefits for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, body weight, and body composition (6), together with supporting a diverse microbiome (3), all factors which when improved confer a reduced risk of cancer development and progression.

Accordingly, several professional organisations, including the Amercican Cancer Society and Cancer Research UK recommend dietary patterns that are consistent with WFPBD for primary risk reduction.